1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the prevention of operation errors such as recording/reproduction errors due to contamination of a magnetic head arranged in a camera using a film having a magnetic recording portion.
2. Description of the Related Art
As described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,317, a conventional camera has a magnetic head capable of recording/reproducing photographic data and the like on/from a magnetic recording portion formed on a film loaded in the camera.
In this camera, the magnetic head is used to record or reproduce data associated with photography on or from a magnetic track portion every time photography is performed. In general, as a magnetic head is used, a magnetic substance is cut from a magnetic track and adheres to the magnetic head surface, and the contact of the magnetic head with the magnetic track portion becomes unstable, resulting in faulty recording and reproducing operations. For this reason, the contaminated state of the magnetic head must be checked, and the magnetic head must be cleaned as needed.
In order to determine the necessity of this cleaning operation, dummy data is recorded on the magnetic track before photography. After photography is performed to a certain extent, the dummy data is reproduced to be compared with the dummy data recorded beforehand. If these data do not coincide with each other, it is determined that the magnetic head is contaminated, and a warning is provided in the form of a display or the like.
In the above-described method of determining the contaminated state of the magnetic head, however, a "film advance" operation must be performed to record dummy data during loading of a film, and a film rewind operation must be performed to reproduce the dummy data. Such an operation for determination of a contaminated state is time-consuming and cumbersome for the photographer.